Undying Love
by Angela Crenshaw
Summary: Ethan and Ivy were a great couple who were happily engaged.  That is until a new turn of events turned their world upside-down and began tearing the couple apart from the inside.
1. Avoidance

Credit to Donny who wrote the odd chapters while I wrote the even chapters.

Chapter 1: Ivy's POV

If you looked into Ivy Katherine Clarke's life right now, you would say she had it all, everything. The fancy house, the amazing fiancé who she adored, the perfect job she had always wanted and people who she could properly call family now. The one thing she hadn't wanted, hadn't asked for and hadn't even been thinking about had been given to her and now the young girl didn't know what to do about it. For days she had found herself staring in the mirror constantly, for the first time in her life she wasn't checking herself out or looking at how beautiful she was. No, she was frowning at her reflection as she thought over what she ought to do thinking she might get some sort of answers by doing so but all it was doing to the girl was making her worst. Her normally toned and flat stomach was protruding a little, something that was hard to hide from her devoted fiancé but she wouldn't at least try to do so.

She hadn't meant to hide it, well, she had but what other choice did she have? How could she tell him such big news when they were just getting started, just beginning to build a foundation for themselves with so much promise. He might leave her, or that's what she had convinced herself he might do if she told him the secret she was so desperately trying to conceal. He wasn't ready to be a father and nor was she ready to become a mother so what other alternative did she have? She couldn't face telling him yet, she couldn't bear to see that look creep onto his face at the prospect of her being pregnant with his child. It was why she hadnt told him for near enough two months now. Ellie knew about it though and that was making the load upon her chest feel a little lighter what with her constant words of encouragement making Ivy feel much better. "As much as i love knowing secrets and there always pretty fun, this is major Ivy and you should tell Ethan," Ellie's voice murmered through the phone, a sentence that was similar to what she had been constantly saying for weeks now. A deep sigh escaped Ivys lips, the mobile phone floating in mid-air near her ear where she could properly hear her best friend whilst doing the dishes by hand. "Yeah but Elliebell -," she began , using the nickname that had been fashioned for her in Hogwarts "Who's to say he wont just turn around and leave? He doesn't want a baby, and he wont want me if i tell him," Ivy whispered, repeating the phrase she had used to counteract Ellie's previous sentence a thousand times already.

"Ivy, for merlins sake woman you know thats not -," but Ellie's words of wisdom were cut of when Ivy grabbed the phone, shut it closed and threw it across the counter just in time for Ethan walking in the front door shouting the clique "Honey im home!," before running upstairs to change like normal. As she busied herself with the dishes quickly, she was overcome with the weight of her situation all over again and leant both hands against the counter with he head bowed. Unexpectedly, Ethan laced his arms around her body, his warm touch sending a shiver down her spine that was growing with intensity the more she felt it linger upon her waist. "Whats wrong?,"he asked softly while Ivy steadied herself as he brushed his lips against her ear, her breathing becoming ragged as he trailed his hand down her back placing open mouthed kisses towards the crook of her neck. His breath felt hot against her skin and it distracted her a great deal from the chaos that was going on inside her head. She was barely able to answer him, the touch of his hands making her feel weak and unsteady.

"Nothing, its…nothing," she murmured, her eyes closing from the way Ethan was holding her, pressing his lips to her neck, her soft spot between her ear and neck, letting his mouth wander across her bare skin. "You're washing the dishes…without magic, there is defenaitly something wrong," he whispered, spinning her around to meet his gaze with so much intensity it took Ivy's breath away for a moment. He grazed his mouth across her jaw, purposely avoiding her lips as he let his own press against her collarbone, smiling when he caused her to moan softly and pull on his hair in a way that made him want to continue their actions into their bedroom. "Wow wow wow," She murmered, pushing him away quickly when his hands moved towards her stomach. She couldn't risk him being suspicious and what if he felt something? What would happen then? Besides, he'd notice how her stomach stuck out more than usual if she allowed him to touch it. "Whats wrong with you lately Ivy?," Ethan asked, unable to take away the edge in his tone and the annoyance lacing his words. "I mean, you're always on edge, you barely let me touch you at all, you keep pushing me away and you're acting all wierd," He rushed like he had been holding it in for a while but Ivy didnt look at him, she couldn't bear to meet his gaze for fear of her giving in and just telling him everything that she was keeping from him. She focused on his hands, his rough, safe, familiar hands at his side and closed her eyes when he began to walk away from her.

Ivy had managed to stay clear of Ethan for going on two weeks now, hiding out at Ellie's house and doing a number of other things that kept her well away from her fiancé. Bringing the cup of tea to her lips having no intentions of drinking it seeing as Ellie made the worst tea imaginable, Ivy sighed deeply wondering what she ought to do. "You know, that might help," Ellie said, nodding towards the warm tea that Ivy was noticebly not drinking. Snapping out of her train of thought, Ivy focused on her best friend again and smiled ever so slightly at her. "Have you tasted your tea?" she asked, giving her a raised eyebrow before setting her cup on the table with a soft thump. She couldnt help but roll her eyes playfully at Ellie seeing the way she faked a shocked expression and Ivys words.

"So, its nearly reaching the two and a half month mark now. Don't you think Ethan deserves to know about his unborn child, Ivy?," Ellie said without the worry of being yelled at dispite having had been before when she asked about the topic at hand. However, Ivy shook her head slowly and didn't answer her friend and instead, forgot about the fact that Ellie sucked at making tea and took a sip before trying to refrain from spitting it out. "Ivy Katherine Clarke, now you listen to me," Ellie began, taking her hand and holding it tightly in her own as she stared into Ivy glistening green eyes, her expression stubborn. "You're going to get married to Ethan, married! And trust me, you start keeping secrets now its just going to do the relationship damage," Ellie told her, trying to convince he to see what she was getting at and if Ivy was honest, she was beginning to get through to her. The mention of marriage reminded Ivy of the thing she had meant to ask Ellie, to which a sudden burst of excitment jolted through her. Her face lit up as she leaned toward her, green eyes alight with the news she was about to spill to her.

"Speaking of," She started, the words rushing to her mouth like she couldn't wait to tell her what she wanted to say. "I was wondering...if a certain Elliebell would like to fill to position of being my maid of honor," she rushed, grinning widely at the bulging eyes of her best friend before she let of a very high pitched, exited scream as she leapt to her feet and hoped madly on the spot. Joining her, Ivy bounced and embraced the girl with the same amount of enthusiam, the feeling of utter happiness taking over her sadness for a good while. "Oh and while im at it, you're also going to be a godmother," Ivy threw in which only doubled their screams and excited bouncing to the point where it went on for a good while until they were both utterly exhausted.


	2. The old Dragonpox excuse

Chapter 2 : Ethan's POV

"I'm proud of you son,"Ethan's dad told him one day after work. Coming from Ethan's father, who barely said anything serious without cracking a joke right after, this was a big deal."Thanks dad,"he said genuinely, a smile not being able to be wiped away from his little boy face. His father was proud of what he had made of his life just shortly after graduation. He had co-purchased a house with his fiance, who was radiant as ever, and the couple both managed to land their dream jobs. What more could a guy ask for?

Ethan knew exactly what he would ask for. More time with the future Mrs. Castleberry. Or would she Clarke-Castleberry? Or Castleberry-Clarke? That was something the engaged couple had never really discussed, but he just assumed she would take his last name like a traditional couple. Yet what was traditional about Ivy? He smirked to himself at the thought. Nothing was traditional about Ivy. That's what attracted him so much to his fiance to begin with, before he even knew he had feelings for the girl, something had always pulled him to her, like a magnet. That is why he was so upset that his new job kept him away from his beautiful, spunky, adorable fiance. It was a job he loved, a job he had always wanted. Yet sometimes it required him to leave early mornings and come back late at night. Sometimes he even had to go on business trips for his job. Being gone days at a time from Ivy was terrible, yet she said she fully supported him in everything he did. That's one of the things he loved about her. Her undying support for him in his adventures. It just took her a while to admit it to herself. Sometimes though, he wonders if the success of his job was worth it.

Ethan might not have been the smartest kid in Hogwarts, but he knew what happened to couples who didn't spend a lot of time together. He would like to think that the two of them were different. They were always a different couple than anyone else. More brash, more loving, and more passionate than any of their other friends. Completely in their own world most of the time. They said they could conquer anything that came their way. They made that promise when Ethan got down on one knee and promised to love Ivy Katherine Clarke for the rest of their lives. But perhaps distance was something that even the power couple Ethan and Ivy couldn't overcome.

It had been a while since Ethan had been intimate with her. Not that their relationship was based on those intimate encounters, but it was a part of who they were and that's where he started seeing changes the most. The last time they had been intimate, she insisted on turning off the lights. It was weird, but nothing he couldn't get used to. Perhaps she had just gained a little holiday weight and was self-conscious about her body? Or maybe just bloated from a large dinner? Not that Ethan could tell, she still looked sexy as hell to him, but girls were weird like that, you know? He never knew when a misdirected comment would send girls into an emotional spiral. Hell, he would have preferred that to the treatment he was getting now. He was getting the cold-shoulder every time things got heated, and in response had to take lots of cold showers.

It was fine at first, but she could only use the excuse of her 'womanly problems' for one week, which was a bit off schedule to Ethan's calculations. Or perhaps he was just really bad at math. After that, she didn't get back to her normal self like he thought she would. She kept pushing him away, physically and emotionally. It was a pretty strong blow to his ego, being pushed away by the one he loved. It made the ever cool and collected Ethan question a lot of things. What had changed with him? Something, obviously, to make her not want him anymore. The only thing he could think of was his job. Or maybe...maybe she was getting bored with him? That thought sent him on a mission to try and entice his fiance. That shouldn't be too hard, right? He had learned some new moves from a source that will remain anonymous and planned to try them out immediately. However, his advances were all shut down before they even had a chance to pan out. What a shame. He had some good moves planned too.

Ethan was frustrated. Emotionally, physically, sexually. He hit a brick wall every turn he took. He even tried talking to her about their distinct distance that had formed between them, but when he brought it up, she clammed up. Typical Ivy, never letting anyone get close to her emotionally. Being her fiance, he thought that he would have special privileges or something. Apparently not. So for a while, he let it drop, hoping it was just one of her phases she would grow out of, but she didn't. The days seemed to drag on slower and slower as he could feel the tension build between them, even though the both of them pretended it didn't exist.

He was tired of pretending though. He wanted things back the way they were. Before she started rejecting him.

"Honey, I'm home!"he called one day when he returned from work. He saw she was in the kitchen washing dishes. Was it just him or did she seem a bit, jumpy? Ah well, today was the day, and he wasn't going to take no for an answer. He sprinted upstairs, changed the fastest he's ever changed and put on some fresh cologne. The cologne that Ivy loved to much. If his intoxicating aroma couldn't entice her, nothing would.

Ethan looked at his Ivy from behind. He walked quietly up to her and snaked his arms around her body, hugging her from the back. A sudden fire grew in his heart at just being this close to her.

"What's wrong?"he whispered quietly in her ear before he kissed it. He couldn't help himself after that. His mouth placed kisses all the way from her ear to her neck. He knew she liked this by the change in her breathing, but he didn't want to distract her too much. He wanted answers.

"Nothing, it's...nothing,"she responded in a distracted way. Wrong answer. Ethan smirked to himself as he continued to kiss her neck. He stopped long enough to say"You're washing the dishes...without magic, there is definitely something wrong."Suddenly he spun her around, his dark chocolate eyes gazing into hers. How long had it been since he just admired her from this close? Too long if he couldn't even remember when the last time was. He knew he wanted answers but his instincts took over instead. His lips found her neck, her jaw, everywehere around her face except her lips. Those he would save for last. He was teasing her and he knew it as she twisted her fingers in her hair. His hands roamed her back, lifting up her shirt and feeling her bare smooth back with his hands. He had barely moved them toward her front a millimeter when she pushed him away quickly. He frowned at her._Really?_

"Whats wrong with you lately Ivy?,"Ethan asked. Although he tried, he was clearly upset with Ivy, annoyance seeping through his words. Might as well get it out now."I mean, you're always on edge, you barely let me touch you at all, you keep pushing me away and you're acting all weird,"he said at a very fast pace. It was clear this had all been on his mind for a very long time. It wasn't exactly how he had planned to bring it up, but now that it was out there, he waited for Ivy's response with his hands now clenched at his side. She refused to look at him, which made Ethan even more irate._The nerve..._He wanted to say. How dare she think she can just play around with his emotions like this! Before he got any angrier he left. If she was going to play those games, Ethan didn't want to be around her at all at that moment. He needed some space. Guess tonight would be just another lonely night.

This had been, without a doubt, the worst fight Ethan had ever been in with Ivy. And he didn't even know what he did wrong! The suspense of being in the dark was killing him! It was driving him crazy and making him think crazy thoughts like...

_What if she's having second thoughts about the wedding? What if after living with me she found I'm so undesirable that she's just trying to find a way out? What if there's another man?_Each thought was more ridiculous than the next. He tried to pull himself together, but the longer time went on. The harder it was to do that. It was going on two weeks of avoidance. First, Ethan felt anger. Second, it was a weaker anger, annoyance. And third, Ethan felt depressed in a way he'd never been sad before. He didn't know how to shake it. He was sure that he did something wrong. He must have done something to deserve this. It was his job, wasn't it? The time apart was putting a strain on their relationship. He knew that this would happen! And an even deeper depression hit him as he realized he was losing her.

It was if that thought had lit a fire underneath him, knocking him out of his depression. Perhaps it was his stubbornness that ran through his veins, but he refused to give up on their relationship, even if she already had. Surely if they remembered how they used to be, unable to resist each other at Hogwarts. Once they even escaped to the nearest broom cupboard because their feelings couldn't wait. It was more than just passion or lust. It was fire. A spark between them that somehow went out over time. Perhaps if he could just remind her, just once, then he could win her back. He wanted her back. He wanted the old Ivy back. He wanted the woman he proposed to in Hogwarts with him again. Whatever happened to her? He would see glimpses of her, but it was as if she was buried beneath this ... very strong brick wall.

He knew, somehow, that Ivy had been hiding out at Ellie's this entire time. It was instinct. He knew Ivy too well, despite the rift between them at the moment. So he called up Ellie, preparing to demand answers from her.

"Ellie! Where's Ivy? We need to talk, and don't you dare cover for her!"Ethan could be quite aggressive when he needed to be, and this was one thing he was pretty passionate about. He could hear the panic rising in Ellie's voice on the other end of the phone."Um, er, did you say poison ivy? You know you should really go to the doctor about that. But I'd be careful if I were you. Yeah there was this outbreak of..umm...that dragonpox. Yeah! Can you believe I almost snogged this guy...then i found out he was still recovering from it! And I was like WOAHHH I don't want dragon pox...you know?"

"You're a terrible liar,"he said dryly, clearly not amused by her terrible act. Why was getting a straight answer from women SO DAMN DIFFICULT! Ethan cringed, balling his fists up in anger."Look, Ellie, this is serious! I'm losing her!"Ethan snapped at her, one of the few times he had ever lost his temper with her seriously in their whole seven years of friendship. After a silence between them, he takes a breath to calm himself down. Regaining his composure, he tells her with a crack in his voice"Just...I don't know, just tell her I miss her"and hangs up. It was the lowest low point in his relationship. He hung his head in depression as he wracked his brain for what to do._I have to talk to her_he decided. THIS time...he wouldn't take no for an answer. Either they talked...or somebody was bound to walk.


	3. I'm pregnant

Chapter 3: Ivy's POV

Darkness had begun to seep through the kitchen, throwing a cascade of shadows across the floor as Ivy sat atop the table, swinging her legs back and forth with her piercing green eyes locked on the front door. She had decided to face him, she was strong and she knew that and it was time she grew a pair and told her fiancé everything. If he left her then she would have Ellie, she would have the support of Brooklyn too and she wouldn't be alone. She'd have her baby and despite her fears over the tiny creature growing inside her, she knew she loved it. How could she not when it was part of Ethan? Anything that had his genes was going to be magnificent and, if Ivy was honest, pretty goddamn gorgeous what with her own genes mixed in. This baby was Ivy and Ethans and she knew with everything she was that she already adored it, would make sure she protected it and she was damn sure going to make sure it KNEW that she loved it, something her own parents failed to do with her. Her stomach churned as she waited for him knowing that, after avoiding him for a while hidding out at Ellie's house, he was going to be incredibly angry with her. She had a taster of it the day before after he phoned Ellie demanding Ivy's whereabouts and though Ellie...well..failed miserably, she was still grateful for her friend's attempts at protecting her.

Sucking in a deep, steadying breath, Ivy tossed her long dark hair over her shoulder and waved her wand with a shaky hand to ignite the hall light. Waiting was never something Ivy was good at and what was worst was that she was anxious which made everything worst. Tapping her fingers against the table impatiently, the girl tried to steady herself and prepare for the worst but her heart sped up when she heard the fumbling of keys unlocking the door. From the first glimpse of him she knew he was angry, frustrated and had been looking for her after work. He was as handsome as ever and even though she had been dreading this moment her cheeks flushed, her insides danced at seeing him again and her breath quickened under his dark gaze. He was frozen, seeing her again after days and weeks of being avoided he was overcome with different emotions, a varied few and couldn't quite pick which one to feel. Ivy held his gaze, unable to look away from his that were darkening and she knew he was angry, very angry.

"Where the hell have you been?," he whispered, his voice dangerously low with an edge that Ivy was unable to ignore. She glanced to the floor before swinging gracefully of the table to stand closer to him only to see him taking a step back. "Ethan please, i can explain all of -," she began but only to have him cut her off in anger "You can explain? After you disapear for days, dont talk to me, shrug me off all the time, ignore my calls, what kind of exuse can you give me for all of that ay?," he asked her, growing in volume the more he spoke. She gazed at him, her green eyes begging him silently to understand, try to be less upset at her but she guessed he had a right to be since she had been a pretty horrible fiancé for a while now. What was going on inside his head? Did he not love her anymore? Was he sick of her after the way she had been acting? She wouldnt judge him if he was but she hoped he didnt. Biting her lip and running a hand through her dark hair, Ivy fought to find the right words to tell him. "Well?," he asked impatiently probably thinking she couldn't come up with a good enough exuse to tell him.

She was about to change his life, to spoil everything he thought was solid. He had a job, a good one that he loved and had wanted for a while and now she was about to ruin that. But she had to remember that this was a child, their child and dispite worrying how he would react, whether he would decide to leave her she hd to tell him."Ethan I um," she started, fumbling at her loss of words before she sucked in a breath and closed her eyes briefly. It was now or never. "Im pregnant," she whispered, the word feeling oddly comfortable on her lips but her voice echoing off the walls as silence decended over them. How was he going to take it?


	4. The next adventure

Chapter 4: Ethan's POV

Even though Ethan had told himself he would talk to her, must talk to her, he couldn't. It wasn't for a lack of trying, but Ivy had ever given him the opportunity. She continued to avoid him, and Ethan continued to search for her. If he didn't get word of her soon he would have to call the wizard cops and file a missing persons report. But he didn't because of how weird Ellie was acting. It meant she knew where Ivy was but wasn't saying a word. He knew she was hiding Ivy from him and Ethan was, for the first time in his life, angry with his best friend.

One night after work he marched over to Ellie's house and banged on the door. By the time he got there he was quite breathless. In his anger, he forgot he could apparate so he walked the entire way, stopping to stare at every brunette he saw on the way, hoping it would be his Ivy. But it never was. "Where?" is all Ethan said as the door was opened for him.

"Ethan, I wasn't expecting you for dinner," Ellie said pleasantly, looking over his shoulder as if she really wasn't paying attention to him at all. "But you see, I'm expecting other company..."

"Where?" Ethan demanded again, clutching his side. The fast-paced walking had not been good for his asthma and he tried to regain his breath. That didn't deter him from his purpose, however.. "Where is she? I know you know Ellie, now PLEASE!" He was begging now, desperate. Ethan Castleberry was not doing very well without Ivy Clarke in his life. There once was a point where Ethan needed no one. He was fine by himself and was independent. That was before he met Ivy. Before he knew what he was missing without her. And now, he stood in front of his best friend, half broken, yet she was turning him away.

"Ethan, she's not here. You should take a breather, you know. Go home. I'm sure she'll show up soon," she said vaguely. Ethan pushed passed her and walked into the house. "I've been waiting for weeks, El, I can't wait anymore," he told her before going on a search of the house. "Ivy!" he called from room to room. He saw nothing. And with every room he looked in, he felt his heart sink a little lower. "Homenum revelio!" Ethan called as a last resort to his searching. Only then did he realize that she really wasn't hiding anywhere.

"Go home," Ellie said when he rejoined her in the kitchen. "Just...trust me, okay?" Trust his friend who had been lying to him for weeks? That was hard to do. Yet Ethan nodded meekly and left, his shoulders slumped over in defeat. He apparated back to his front porch as he fiddled with the lock. As he swung open the door, he noticed the lights were on. An exhausted Ethan stood in shock as he saw Ivy sitting on the table in front of him. His mouth gaped open, but no sound came out. Shock turned to relief as he was so glad to finally see her! To know she was okay! Her beautiful face, just as he remembered it, only lined with a sadness he did not like. His relief turned to grief as he remembered their fight. Remembered that there was something between them that was stopping him from running to her and wrapping his arms around her like he wanted. Finally, his grief turned to anger. Anger that she could just show up whenever she wanted after however long of avoiding him and just hope that everything would be okay!

"What the hell are you doing here?" he snapped. He cringed inwardly. Not the words he expected to say to his fiancee the next time they met, but he couldn't help himself. His hands were shaking so bad that he dropped his keys. "Ethan, I can explain all of -" Ethan took a step back from her involuntarily as she stepped toward him. They couldn't be that close and pretend nothing happened. No. He needed an explanation. "You can explain? After you disappear for days, don't talk to me, shrug me off all the time, ignore my calls, what kind of excuse can you give me for all of that ay?" Ethan exploded, laying it all on the line for her. She just stared back at him. Ethan was afraid she was going to clam up again. No, he wouldn't let her leave this time. He needed an answer...even if she was officially going to break his heart. He prepared himself for the worst as he asked "Well?"

"Ethan I um," she looked away, sucked in a breath. Ethan braced himself. This was it. The moment he was dreading. He was finally going to know what he did wrong to cause such a fight. At least then he would have some closure if she really was breaking it off with him. "I'm pregnant..."

Ethan blinked, his stern expression completely wiped from his face. Any emotion slipped from his features except pure shock. His mouth gaped open, and his eyes fixated on one spot on the floor. Her words bounced off the walls and seemed to echo in his head. "I'm pregnant...I'm pregnant...I'm pregnant..." Did he hear her right? "I'm pregnant..." the echo in his head continued. Yes, he heard her right. But he was a little slower to process it.

All this time? All this time it wasn't him, it was her? She wasn't mad at him for work or not being there for her or not being as wealthy as her family was. It was none of that. It was her? Relief washed over him. It was only a baby! That's when it really hit him. Only a baby! A BABY! The two were going to have a baby together! Ethan's mind reeled as he felt a little lightheaded at the possibility of a baby in the house. What if he wasn't a good father? What if he couldn't provide for his family? His current job already took him away from his fiancee for too long. He would have to find a new job. But what if he couldn't find a job in time? He knew his mother and father-in-law would help them out if they needed it financially, but Ethan was way too proud to ever except that as an answer.

"Ethan, please say something," Ivy pleaded with a trembling voice. Ethan glanced up from the spot he was staring at and focused on Ivy's face. Tears stained her cheeks and her eyes were bloodshot. How long had she been crying? Her hands were clenched on the table as if she was holding herself up by sheer will to stay standing. Ethan felt a pain in his heart to see her ache like that, and he wanted to make it go away. It only hurt him more when he realized that he was the one making her ache like that by holding out for so long on his response.

Immediately, he closed the gap between them in one long stride and pulled her in his arms. He breathed in her sweet scent and felt the warmth of her touch in the first time in what felt like an eternity. She was back where she belonged, in his arms. She buried her head in his chest and he rested his head on top of hers. She sobbed openly now, face hidden from Ethan. She rested all her weight on him and he felt his knees buckle not from her weight, but from the shock of all this. This was just too much for him to take in at once. Ethan held her close, even though they both slipped to the floor. "I'm so sorry," he heard her sob again as she was trying to suck in air to catch her breath.

"Don't be," Ethan said gently after finally finding his voice. He reached up and stroked her hair. He pressed his lips to her forehead before whispering in her ear. "I thought...I thought I had done something wrong, something to push you away. My job perhaps?" Ivy's eyes opened wide in shock as she shook her head forcefully as if that thought had never crossed her mind. " Ivy, I was terrified. I wish you would have told me sooner. I thought - thought I had lost you." Ethan's voice caught in his throat on that last sentence. Even talking about losing the love of his life was too much to handle. He took her hands and pried her away from his chest. Lifting a finger to her chin, he pushed lightly, forcing her to look at him.

"Ivy, we're going to have a child together," Ethan voiced for the first time, a hint of a smile playing on his lips despite her crying and his previous anger he had felt. All of that had slipped away once the realization hit. He realized she was scared and unsure and confused. Ethan needed to be strong for her. He needed to be strong for them if he was going to be a good father one day. But how was he going to show her he was serious about this without sounding cheesy? That was probably inevitable. He took her hand in his and pushed her engagement ring with his thumb back and forth.

"You see this ring?" he asked her. She nodded feebly and he continued. "When I gave you this ring I promised I would always be there for you and love you no matter what. It's a symbol that I want to spend the rest of our lives together. I want to marry you, Ivy Katherine Clarke. And for some unexplainable reason, you want to marry me too. That means for better or for worse, I'm always here. And I want to raise this baby with you." His hand entwined hers and moved to her stomach which, honestly didn't feel that much different to Ethan. It was probably because they were sitting down.. She flinched at first, but did not pull away. It was the first time he was able to really touch her in weeks, and it felt like every touch was new, a brilliant sensation shooting from his fingertips to his toes in excitement.

"It's the next adventure in our lives," he whispered before stroking her cheek, wiping away the last remaining tears on her face. His face broke out in a wide grin. He was unable to control himself. "How could I be anything less than happy?"


End file.
